Noor Riyadh has announced the 59 participating artists for 2025, representing 24 nationalities, including 60 artworks and more than 35 new commissions in a celebration of light and art from 20 November to 6 December 2025, under the umbrella of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and Riyadh Art.
Noor Riyadh, launched in March 2021, is a citywide annual festival of light and art. It is the largest light art festival in the world. Noor Riyadh is a 17-day festival that includes a public program of community activities featuring educational workshops, talks, and performances.
Noor Riyadh combines the highest quality light artworks from leading international and Saudi artists across the largest city footprint of any light art festival worldwide. Staged under Riyadh Art, the festival aims to nurture local talent and inspire youth to drive Saudi Arabia’s creative economy.
This year’s curatorial theme, “In the Blink of an Eye,” reflects the rapid transformation shaping Riyadh. The festival will present work responding to the theme by leading international and local artists, including Saad Al Howede, Monira Al Qadiri, Abdulrahman AlSoliman, James Clar, Ivana Franke, fuse*, Ayoung Kim, Shinji Ohmaki, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Muhannad Shono, with a special installation dedicated to the work of the late Safeya Binzagr (1940 – 2024), a leading figure of Saudi Arabia’s modern art movement and the first female Saudi artist to hold a solo exhibition in 1968.
Perspectives
The 2025 festival is led by an international curatorial team that brings together distinct perspectives on contemporary culture: Mami Kataoka (Curatorial Advisory Lead; Director, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo), Riyadh-based curator Sara Almutlaq, and Li Zhenhua (Curator and founder of Beijing Art Lab). Their vision connects Riyadh’s historical heart to its modern skyline and metro network, inviting audiences to encounter light as a medium for perception, memory, and momentum. Their festival program will see Noor Riyadh 2025 unfold across six locations: Qasr Al Hokm District, King Abdulaziz Historical Center, stc Metro Station, KAFD Metro Station, Al Faisaliah Tower, and JAX District.
“Noor Riyadh is defined by its artists: their ideas, their courage, and their vision,” says Nouf Almoneef, Festival Director of Noor Riyadh. “Each work captures the city’s momentum through light, reminding us that creativity is a universal language that connects cultures and inspires dialogue.”
“Light is both a medium and a metaphor for transformation,” says Mami Kataoka, Curatorial Advisory Lead for Noor Riyadh 2025. “In the Blink of an Eye reveals how quickly perception can shift—offering a moment to pause within the momentum of change and see beauty in what is constantly evolving.”
Creativity
Noor Riyadh echoes Riyadh Art’s mission to transform the city by sparking creativity and enriching daily lives. Since its inception, Riyadh Art has showcased more than 550 artworks by 500 Saudi and international artists, attracting more than 9.6 million visitors and spectators through its major programs.
Through each edition, Noor Riyadh transforms everyday spaces into extraordinary encounters, enriching lives and creating a sense of shared wonder across communities.
The full list of the festival’s 2025 participating artists is:
| # | Artist | Country |
| 1 | Addie Wagenknecht | USA |
| 2 | Abdulrahman AlSoliman | Saudi Arabia |
| 3 | Abdelrahman Elshahed | Saudi Arabia |
| 4 | Ahmad Angawi | Saudi Arabia |
| 5 | Alex Schweder | USA |
| 6 | Alexandra Gelis | Colombia & Canada |
| 7 | Ayoung Kim | South Korea |
| 8 | atelier oï + WonderGlass | Switzerland |
| 9 | Christian Partos | Sweden |
| 10 | Christophe Berthonneau | France |
| 11 | dies_ | Italy |
| 12 | Saad Al Howede | Saudi Arabia |
| 13 | Edwin van der Heide | The Netherlands |
| 14 | Encor Studio | Switzerland |
| 15 | Fatma Abdulhadi | Saudi Arabia |
| 16 | Francesco Simeti | Italy |
| 17 | fuse* | Italy |
| 18 | Guillaume Cousin | France |
| 19 | Hmoud Alattawi | Saudi Arabia |
| 20 | Iregular | Canada |
| 21 | Ivana Franke | Croatia |
| 22 | James Clar | Philippines & USA |
| 23 | Karolina Halatek | Poland |
| 24 | Khalid Zahid | Saudi Arabia |
| 25 | Kurt Hentschläger | Austria |
| 26 | László Zsolt Bordos | Hungary |
| 27 | Loris Cecchini | Italy |
| 28 | Marnix De Nijs | The Netherlands |
| 29 | Michelangelo Pistoletto | Italy |
| 30 | Mohammed Farea | Saudi Arabia |
| 31 | Monira Al Qadiri | Kuwait |
| 32 | Muhannad Shono | Saudi Arabia |
| 33 | n + n Corsino | France |
| 34 | Nebras Aljoaib | Saudi Arabia |
| 35 | Obaid Alsafi | Saudi Arabia |
| 36 | Otolab | Italy |
| 37 | Plastique Fantastique | Germany |
| 38 | Random International | United Kingdom |
| 39 | Rejane Cantoni | Brazil |
| 40 | Robert Seidel | Germany |
| 41 | Roman Hill | USA & France |
| 42 | Ryoichi Kurokawa | Japan |
| 43 | Safeya Binzagr | Saudi Arabia |
| 44 | Saeed Gebaan | Saudi Arabia |
| 45 | Shinji Ohmaki | Japan |
| 46 | Shiro Takatani (Dumb Type) | Japan |
| 47 | Shun Ito | Japan |
| 48 | Six N. Five (Ezequiel Pini) | Argentina |
| 49 | someform Studio | Germany |
| 50 | Studio Above&Below | United Kingdom |
| 51 | Tonoptik | Russia |
| 52 | Traumnovelle | Belgium |
| 53 | Vali Chincișan | Romania |
| 54 | Wang Yuyang | China |
| 55 | Wu Chi-Tsung | Taiwan |
| 56 | ZEITGUISED | Germany |
| 57 | Zhang Zengzeng | China |
| 58 | Zheng Da | China |
| 59 | Ziyad Alroqi | Saudi Arabia |
Noor Riyadh 2025
20th November – 6th December
In the Blink of an Eye
Curated by Mami Kataoka, Li Zhenhua and Sara Almutlaq.
Noor Riyadh is presented by Riyadh Art and the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.
For more information, visit https://riyadhart.sa/en/noor-riyadh/
See also: Art Basel Paris – A Beacon of Confidence
